About the district

East Cambridgeshire is a largely rural district which covers an area of almost 65,500 hectares and has a population of approximately 85,000.

A true gem in the heart of the Cambridgeshire countryside, the riverside Cathedral City of Ely has an attractive and thriving centre that boasts an impressive range of retail, leisure, residential and educational amenities. Add in the nearby towns of Littleport and Soham and you have a truly vibrant and diverse mix of destinations within East Cambridgeshire.

Location, infrastructure and resources are key factors for businesses looking to set up, relocate or expand. With established and approved regional plans, East Cambridgeshire is rapidly developing into a key business destination both regionally and internationally. The region has become an important commercial location due to its proximity to Cambridge, and with superb rail and road networks, the local workforce of East Cambridgeshire also commutes daily between other close cities such as Peterborough, Norwich and London.

East Cambridgeshire is highly adept with a large proportion of those in employment (over 50%) occupying managerial, professional and technical positions. 21% of the resident workforce is employed in administrative, secretarial and skilled trades. The remainder of the resident workforce is employed in care, leisure and service occupations including process plant and machine operatives.

East Cambridgeshire is among the fastest growing districts in the country. The new Local Plan is proposing 10,835 new homes between 2016 and 2036. This is a vibrant district popular with residents and tourists alike.

East Cambridgeshire key facts

81.8% in employment, 7.3% higher than national rate.

15.4 % self-employed vs. UK average of 10.6%.

90.4 % qualified to NVQ1 and above vs. UK average of 85.3%.

1 hour from London, train and plane.

The area offers a strategic location along the M11/A14/A11 corridor.

Camb Wi-Fi

It is simple and safe to register for CambWifi in three easy steps.

  1. Find CambWifi_Public in your Wifi settings and connect.
  2. Read and accept the terms.
  3. Click the ‘Log In’ button.

You will now be automatically connected whenever you are in a CambWifi location. 

Camb Wi-Fi availability in Ely city centre includes Market Place, Market Street, High Street, Forehill, Back Hill, Broad Street, Riverside, Jubilee Gardens and Waterside.

Camb Wi-Fi availability in Soham town centre includes High Street, Clay Street, Fountain Lane and Station Road.

CambWifi is also available in Haddenham, Wicken, Little Thetford, Chippenham, Burwell, Little Downham and Littleport.

We were one of the first authorities to bring free public access Wi-Fi to Ely city centre in 2018.

Since then we have worked with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Cambridgeshire County Council to upgrade and expand the network to become part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough wide Camb WiFi service.

Having a seamless free public access Wi-Fi connection helps people stay digitally connected, and means people can easily and conveniently access the internet wherever they need to. This helps businesses too, including the local market traders who can utilise contactless payments. 

As well as improving coverage, the project aims to boost internet speeds and reliability.